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The Government should take a relook at its recent suspension of diabetes drug pioglitazone, say a section of diabetologists in the city.
It is a time-tested drug, and the Government should re-visit its decision to suspend the medicine, in the interest of patients, said Vijay Panikar, senior diabetologist with Lilavati Hospital.
The drug could carry a ‘black box warning’ on the risk of urinary bladder cancer, and doctors should be educated on using in judiciously, he said, adding that it works well on Indian patients who show high levels of insulin-resistance.
Pioglitazone is used to treat type II diabetes. The Health Ministry recently suspended it, given the associated risks linking it to urinary bladder cancer. The Government is believed to be setting up an expert committee to look into concerns on the drug, a source familiar with the development said.
Siddharth Shah, another diabetologist, pointed out that every medicine has side-effects. Shah said even Metformin, that is relied on heavily these days as the first-level treatment for diabetes, was earlier banned in the US for its adverse effect. It was later re-introduced and is now one of the highest selling drugs, he added.
Rajiv Kovil, who runs diabetes centres in the city, underlined the judicious prescribing of the drug. There were benefits of pioglitazone that out-weighed other drugs in the segment, he said. Pioglitazone, he explained, is a durable drug as it works well for a long period.
The doctors said their counterparts in the country’s other regions were also surprised by the Government’s decision and some of them in Kerala were even said to be considering a legal option, they added.
About 30 lakh diabetes patients are said to be on pioglitazone in India. The country is estimated to have 60 million diabetics, second to China.
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